BirdWatch - Wonderful photos from members
U3A members have continued to send us their fantastic bird photos and tales of feathered visitors to their gardens as part of the BTO Garden Birdwatch. BirdTrack is provided by the British Trust of Ornithology and is a project in which participants take note of the species of birds they see in order to help BTO analyse migration movements and distributions of birds across Britain and Ireland.
Members have enjoyed watching the birds and also listening to the wonderful birdsong in our green spaces as the lockdown encourages the local bird life to become more active. Please carry on sending in your observations and sharing with U3A via our online form.
Carolyn, from Dunstable U3A, has spotted a collection of birds including this preening mallard in Tring reservoir (left) and a partially leucistic rook at the rear of Dell Farm Whipsnade with other non-leucistic rooks (centre). The duckling on the right was one of 11 at Trying reservoir. Who can’t resist a duckling?
Jacqueline from Mawdesley and Villages U3A heard a bittern booming in Martin Mere but hasn't heard it since sadly. And took this great picture of moorhens fighting in the canal in Burscough.
Dennis, from Walsall U3A snapped this pigeon enjoying a bath during the warm weather.
Pauline Phillips from Newbury U3A frequently sees a red kite flying over her garden as seen in this great picture.
Roundup of other bird sightings
Mary, from Harborne & Edgbaston U3A, saw the following birds on a hot and sunny morning in Chad Valley, Birmingham: wren, dunnock, blue tit, great tit, long-tailed tit, robin, treecreeper, chaffinch, blackbird, feral pigeon, wood pigeon, great spotted woodpecker, magpie, carrion crow, grey heron, mallard, lesser black-backed gull.
Michael, from Tamworth U3A saw 5 or 6 tree sparrows, a pair of blue tits, male & female black birds, a pair of dunnocks, a pair of yellow hammers, starlings, a pigeon, a pair of collared doves and a robin using the seed feeder. A kestrel perched on his neighbour’s satellite dish and he could also hear and see buzzards being buzzed by crows.
Please keep your photos and stories coming in - we love them - thank you so much.